Win streak at 9

The winning streak is at nine as the Reds had to battle and grind it out for a 9-7 win over the Rockies. Click here for the game story.

Here are your three stars:

No. 3 star: Drew Stubbs — 2-for-4, HR, 2 RBIs, 2 runs

No. 2 star: Carlos Gonzalez, COL — 2-for-4, HR, 3 RBIs.

No. 1 star: Ryan Ludwick, 2-for-4, 2 HRs, 2 RBIs

Ludwick has raised his average from .201 to .252 in 32 games. His 17 homers for the season are good for second on the club. His first homer in the top of the second was big as it came right after Johnny Cueto struggled and dropped to a 3-0 deficit following one inning. Perhaps in a sign of how he’d like to see the Reds be kept as it is around the Trade Deadline, he said this:

“I feel like the team chemistry in here is awesome,” Ludwick said. “Everyone gets along. I think we believe. Obviously having Votto out of the lineup as long as he’s been out and to have the record we have, you’ve got to believe. We’re getting contributions from different players at different times. If you believe in yourselves, it’s half the battle.”

News and notes:

*Cueto wasn’t stellar but he earned career-high win No. 13. He had 6 ip, 10 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 3 K and worked out of a few jams after the first inning. His ERA is now 2.39, no longer best in the NL.

*Another Cueto note — he hasn’t allowed a homer since Todd Helton hit a two-run shot on May 25 at GABP. He’s gone 11 starts and 78 innings without a homer allowed, the longest streak in the Majors this season. According to Elias Sports Bureau, it’s the longest by a Reds pitcher since Bruce Berenyi threw 85 1/3 homerless innings from 6/19-8/24, 1982.

“It was not an easy night but thank God I did my job. At least I did it,” Cueto said.

*The Reds are now 60-40, which is tied for the best record in baseball with the Yankees and Nationals. Besides winning nine straight and 16 of 18, they are 10-2 without Joey Votto. They have not won 10 in a row since 1999.

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